Tommy John bids farewell: 'Will never forget you'
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- Tommy John, 83, did not attend the New York Yankees' 78th Old-Timers' Day on Saturday and posted a lengthy social media farewell telling fans and former teammates "I will never forget you."
- John is at his home in Bradenton, Florida, where Reuters reports he is in hospice care, though the Yankees' statement did not specify his exact health issue.
- The Yankees shared John's message on August 8, 2026, noting he had battled bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years, leaving it unclear whether those conditions are connected to his current decline.
- John thanked Dr. Jobe for the 1974 elbow ligament replacement surgery that let him pitch 14 more seasons — the same procedure, now bearing John's name, that has since saved the careers of countless MLB pitchers.
- Across a 26-year career, John went 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA in 760 appearances, winning 91 games in two stints with the Yankees plus time with the White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Guardians, and Athletics.
Why it matters: John's farewell closes a chapter for a player whose name is invoked every time a pitcher faces Tommy John surgery — a procedure that extended his own career by 14 years and has since rescued the careers of some of the game's biggest stars, making this goodbye resonate across the sport whose medical vocabulary he reshaped.
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